OVERVIEW
As you look around Second Life, you will notice that objects are not only made up of shapes, but also patterns, known as textures. Great-looking objects have great-looking textures! In this module, you will learn how to apply great-looking textures to everything you build.
TERMS:
Texture: A graphic or image applied to an avatar or object.
Learning Objectives:
By the end of this module, you will have the following skills:
Putting graphics and images (textures) onto objects you create
Changing the color and transparency of an object
Changing how the size of a texture looks on an object
You will demonstrate your new skills by:
Texturing created objects
Tinting and changing the transparency of created objects
Changing a texture to look the right size on each side of an object
Finding and Using Textures
AN INTRODUCTION TO TEXTURES - MISSION 1
What makes something look like it's made of stone, fur or metal? The answer: Textures. Textures are graphics or images that are applied to an avatar or object. Now that you have some basic building skills under your belt, it's time to make your creations look like something other than plywood!
Instruction
Applying textures to an object is quick, easy and a ton of fun. In this mission, you will learn how to find images and textures and place them on an object.
Practice
Photo Album and Textures folders.
Texture tab in Edit mode.
Step 1: Finding textures
You can use both Textures and Snapshots to change the look of your object. You have been given some textures and snapshots to use in your Inventory Library. Inventory > Library > Photo Album or Textures
Find the Photo Album and Textures folders in your Inventory Library. Open the folders and double-click on a few textures and snapshots to see what you have there
Step 2: Putting a texture on an object
Rez a cube and make sure it's in Edit mode. Choose the Texture tab. You will see a small square in the Texture tab labeled Texture. This is the texture that's on your prim. Plywood, right?
Texture Picker window.
To change that texture, double-click on the plywood square in the Texture tab. The Texture Picker window will come up, showing the texture currently on your object. It will also show you a list of all the textures and snapshots you have in your Inventory.
Selecting a texture.
Double-click on the texture square in the Texture tab. In the Texture Picker wndow, navigate to:
Library > Textures > Wallpaper > Wallpaper - Blue Click once on Wallpaper - Blue to apply it to your prim. Did you see your prim change? Note: You can also search for a specific texture using the Search bar at the top of the Texture Picker.
Choose the Select Texture button from Edit Window.
Click on the target you would like to change.
Step 3: Changing the texture on one side of a prim
Each face (side) of a prim can have a different texture. To change the texture of each face, choose the Select Texture button from the Edit window. You will see a target on each face of the prim. Click on the face you would like to change. Now, you may select a new texture by double-clicking on the Texture square in the Texture table and clicking on a texture from the Texture Picker window.
Select each face of your prim and apply a different texture to each one. (To see the top and bottom, you may need to reposition your prim or use Camera Controls for a better look.) See the Torley video tutorial Texture shortcuts.
Using your new building skills, take some time to rez some different shapes and sizes - and then texture them. Notice how the same texture looks on different shapes.
Color and Transparency
TEXTURES: AN INTRODUCTION TO TEXTURES - MISSION 2
Sometimes a texture is almost perfect. If only you could change the color just a bit. Guess what? You can. In fact, you can even make it almost transparent for special effects.
Instruction
While you can't completely change colors in a texture, you can tint a texture or make it a solid color.
Practice
Rez a prim with default plywood texture.
Color Picker Window.
Picking your own colors.
Step 1: Tinting a texture
Rez a prim with the default plywood texture. Make sure it is in Edit mode. In the Texture tab, right next to the Texture Picker window, is a white box called Color. This is the Color Picker window. Click on it to bring up the Color Picker. By default, the Apply Immediately box in the lower left corner should be checked. To change the tint of your prim, click on any of the colored boxes towards the bottom of the Color Picker.
With your prim in Edit mode, choose the Color Picker and click on one of the colors already provided for you. Notice that the wood grain still shows through the tint.
Step 2: Choosing your own colors
You are not limited to the colors already in the Color Picker. You may also design you own and save them to use on your projects. In the Color Picker, click anywhere on the large rainbow of colors (Spectrum). The exact color you've chosen will appear in the box Current color. You will also see a slider to the right to adjust your color to be lighter or darker. If Apply Immediately is checked, you should see your prim take on the new color right away. If you would like to save that new color, just drag it out of the Current Color box to replace one of the default colors.
With your prim selected, open the Color Picker and use the Spectrum to create a new color. Click on the light/dark slider to adjust. Drag it from the Current Color box to replace a default color. Note: You may also choose RGB values in the upper left corner to select a color.
Step 3: Choosing a solid color
To make a prim a solid color, open the Texture Picker and choose the Blank button.
You can make an object up to 90% transparent using the Transparency control.
Transparent prim.
To make a prim a solid color, open the Texture Picker and choose the Blank button. Your prim will look solid white. Now, you can use the Color Picker to tint it a solid color. Note: You may also select the Select Texture button to tint each face of a prim separately.
Step 4: Transparency
You can make an object up to 90% transparent using the Transparency control. While 0% is fully visible, 90% will make your object look like a faint shadow.
Change the transparency of your prim. Note: There are completely, 100% transparent textures to be found in Second Life. However, you are not given one in your beginning Library. A friend or package of free textures may have a truly transparent texture you can use.
Try this for fun: Rez a cube and stretch it to look like a wall. Texture it with something like bricks or stone. Now, use Select Texture to select just one side and change the transparency to 90%. If you look at it from all sides, you will find you just made a one-way see-through wall!
Repeats
TEXTURES: AN INTRODUCTION TO TEXTURES - MISSION 3
Now that you've begun texturing, you might be wondering how to make those textures look just right. How do you make each side (or face) of an object look proportional. That's what this mission is all about.
Instruction
When you apply a texture to a prim, it will completely fill each face exactly one time. If all the faces of your prim are the same size, it's no problem. But what if you make something like a rectangle with different sized faces? You can fix that problem by adjusting the number of times a texture repeats on each side of your prim. It's easy - and it will make your creations look so much better!
Practice
image
Step 1: Creating a prim with different sized faces
When you create a prim with different sized faces, you will notice that the texture on each face "looks" different.
Rez a plywood cube. Now stretch it to look like a wall. The wall in the example is:
X: 3.0 Y: 0.5 Z: 2.0 Step 2: Applying a texture to all faces
Depending on the texture you choose, you may notice a big difference in how a texture looks on each face.
Choose the following texture from your Inventory Library and apply it to your wall. Texture Picker > Library > Textures > Buildings > Bricks Look at each face. Do you see how the bricks on the ends of the wall look squished?
image
Step 3: Adjusting the texture repeat
To make a texture look right (or proportional) on each face of your wall, you can change the repeat. In the Texture tab of the Edit window, the repeat is usually set to 1.000, which means the texture will repeat exactly one time. You may use the arrows to make the texture repeat fewer or more times.
With your wall in Edit mode, make sure the Select Texture button is selected. Click on the target on the end of the wall (a skinny side). Change the repeat to the following:
Horizontal: 0.200 Vertical: 1.000 Do the bricks on the end look better to you now? Feel free to adjust the repeats to see what the changes look like.
Step 4: Flipping a texture
Flipping a texture.
Sometimes, you may get a better look by completely flipping a texture. You can do this by checking the Flip box next to the Repeats Per Face settings.
Select just one face of your wall. Check and uncheck the Flip box for the horizontal and vertical repeat settings.
Rez a few different shaped prims and apply different textures to them. Practice changing the horizontal and vertical repeats. Do you find you like oversize, fantasy-like textures or more realistic ones?
Offsets
TEXTURES: AN INTRODUCTION TO TEXTURES - MISSION 4
Someone once said, "Variety is the spice of life." If everything looks like it was stamped out of the same mold, it doesn't look real.
Instruction
You can add variety to your texturing by using the Offset feature in the Texture tab. Offset will allow you to slightly change the way your texture is applied to your objects.
Practice
Step 1: Making some steps
Let's say you want to make some wood steps. In real life, you know they would each have the same wood pattern. But you also know that they would look different from each other.
Rez a cube. Stretch and flatten it to form a step. The step in our example is:
X: 1.500
Y: 1.000
Z: 0.225
image
Texture it with:
Inventory > Library > Textures > Atoll Textures > Atoll Woodwalkway Use the Select Texture button and adjust the front repeat of the step to:
Horizontal: 1.000
Vertical: 0.500
image
Shift-click and drag to duplicate the step. Duplicate and position three or four steps to form stairs. NOW: Do you see how each step looks exactly the same? It looks pretty good - but not great.
Step 2: Using Offset
You can use Offset to adjust the texturing on an entire prim, or just one side at a time. It will depend on the texture and look you want. In real life, these wood steps would look like they were each made of different boards instead of the same ones. Let's change that.
image
In Edit mode, select the bottom step. In the Texture tab, change the Offset to:
Horizontal: 0.300
Vertical: 0.800
Select the other steps one at a time. Change the Offset differently for each one. You don't have to use "round" numbers.
Tip: Combining Offset with Flip might give you even better results!
You now have the power to modify, or change, the texture of objects! You can find some objects to re-texture in your Library. In your Library, find the Basic Chair. Use your new texturing skills to change the look of your chair and discuss what you have learned with your supervisor.
Chapter 5: Textures: An Introduction to Textures
OVERVIEW
As you look around Second Life, you will notice that objects are not only made up of shapes, but also patterns, known as textures. Great-looking objects have great-looking textures! In this module, you will learn how to apply great-looking textures to everything you build.
TERMS:
Texture: A graphic or image applied to an avatar or object.
Learning Objectives:
By the end of this module, you will have the following skills:
- Putting graphics and images (textures) onto objects you create
- Changing the color and transparency of an object
- Changing how the size of a texture looks on an object
You will demonstrate your new skills by:Finding and Using Textures
AN INTRODUCTION TO TEXTURES - MISSION 1
What makes something look like it's made of stone, fur or metal? The answer: Textures. Textures are graphics or images that are applied to an avatar or object. Now that you have some basic building skills under your belt, it's time to make your creations look like something other than plywood!
Instruction
Applying textures to an object is quick, easy and a ton of fun. In this mission, you will learn how to find images and textures and place them on an object.Practice
Step 1: Finding textures
You can use both Textures and Snapshots to change the look of your object. You have been given some textures and snapshots to use in your Inventory Library. Inventory > Library > Photo Album or Textures
Find the Photo Album and Textures folders in your Inventory Library. Open the folders and double-click on a few textures and snapshots to see what you have there
Step 2: Putting a texture on an object
Rez a cube and make sure it's in Edit mode. Choose the Texture tab. You will see a small square in the Texture tab labeled Texture. This is the texture that's on your prim. Plywood, right?
To change that texture, double-click on the plywood square in the Texture tab. The Texture Picker window will come up, showing the texture currently on your object. It will also show you a list of all the textures and snapshots you have in your Inventory.
Double-click on the texture square in the Texture tab. In the Texture Picker wndow, navigate to:
Library > Textures > Wallpaper > Wallpaper - Blue Click once on Wallpaper - Blue to apply it to your prim. Did you see your prim change? Note: You can also search for a specific texture using the Search bar at the top of the Texture Picker.
Step 3: Changing the texture on one side of a prim
Each face (side) of a prim can have a different texture. To change the texture of each face, choose the Select Texture button from the Edit window. You will see a target on each face of the prim. Click on the face you would like to change. Now, you may select a new texture by double-clicking on the Texture square in the Texture table and clicking on a texture from the Texture Picker window.
Select each face of your prim and apply a different texture to each one. (To see the top and bottom, you may need to reposition your prim or use Camera Controls for a better look.) See the Torley video tutorial Texture shortcuts.
Using your new building skills, take some time to rez some different shapes and sizes - and then texture them. Notice how the same texture looks on different shapes.
Color and Transparency
TEXTURES: AN INTRODUCTION TO TEXTURES - MISSION 2
Sometimes a texture is almost perfect. If only you could change the color just a bit. Guess what? You can. In fact, you can even make it almost transparent for special effects.
Instruction
While you can't completely change colors in a texture, you can tint a texture or make it a solid color.Practice
Step 1: Tinting a texture
Rez a prim with the default plywood texture. Make sure it is in Edit mode. In the Texture tab, right next to the Texture Picker window, is a white box called Color. This is the Color Picker window. Click on it to bring up the Color Picker. By default, the Apply Immediately box in the lower left corner should be checked. To change the tint of your prim, click on any of the colored boxes towards the bottom of the Color Picker.
With your prim in Edit mode, choose the Color Picker and click on one of the colors already provided for you. Notice that the wood grain still shows through the tint.
Step 2: Choosing your own colors
You are not limited to the colors already in the Color Picker. You may also design you own and save them to use on your projects. In the Color Picker, click anywhere on the large rainbow of colors (Spectrum). The exact color you've chosen will appear in the box Current color. You will also see a slider to the right to adjust your color to be lighter or darker. If Apply Immediately is checked, you should see your prim take on the new color right away. If you would like to save that new color, just drag it out of the Current Color box to replace one of the default colors.
With your prim selected, open the Color Picker and use the Spectrum to create a new color. Click on the light/dark slider to adjust. Drag it from the Current Color box to replace a default color. Note: You may also choose RGB values in the upper left corner to select a color.
Step 3: Choosing a solid color
To make a prim a solid color, open the Texture Picker and choose the Blank button. Your prim will look solid white. Now, you can use the Color Picker to tint it a solid color. Note: You may also select the Select Texture button to tint each face of a prim separately.
Step 4: Transparency
You can make an object up to 90% transparent using the Transparency control. While 0% is fully visible, 90% will make your object look like a faint shadow.
Change the transparency of your prim. Note: There are completely, 100% transparent textures to be found in Second Life. However, you are not given one in your beginning Library. A friend or package of free textures may have a truly transparent texture you can use.
Try this for fun: Rez a cube and stretch it to look like a wall. Texture it with something like bricks or stone. Now, use Select Texture to select just one side and change the transparency to 90%. If you look at it from all sides, you will find you just made a one-way see-through wall!
Repeats
TEXTURES: AN INTRODUCTION TO TEXTURES - MISSION 3
Now that you've begun texturing, you might be wondering how to make those textures look just right. How do you make each side (or face) of an object look proportional. That's what this mission is all about.
Instruction
When you apply a texture to a prim, it will completely fill each face exactly one time. If all the faces of your prim are the same size, it's no problem. But what if you make something like a rectangle with different sized faces? You can fix that problem by adjusting the number of times a texture repeats on each side of your prim. It's easy - and it will make your creations look so much better!Practice
Step 1: Creating a prim with different sized faces
When you create a prim with different sized faces, you will notice that the texture on each face "looks" different.
Rez a plywood cube. Now stretch it to look like a wall. The wall in the example is:
X: 3.0 Y: 0.5 Z: 2.0
Step 2: Applying a texture to all faces
Depending on the texture you choose, you may notice a big difference in how a texture looks on each face.
Choose the following texture from your Inventory Library and apply it to your wall. Texture Picker > Library > Textures > Buildings > Bricks Look at each face. Do you see how the bricks on the ends of the wall look squished?
Step 3: Adjusting the texture repeat
To make a texture look right (or proportional) on each face of your wall, you can change the repeat. In the Texture tab of the Edit window, the repeat is usually set to 1.000, which means the texture will repeat exactly one time. You may use the arrows to make the texture repeat fewer or more times.
With your wall in Edit mode, make sure the Select Texture button is selected. Click on the target on the end of the wall (a skinny side). Change the repeat to the following:
Horizontal: 0.200 Vertical: 1.000 Do the bricks on the end look better to you now? Feel free to adjust the repeats to see what the changes look like.
Step 4: Flipping a texture
Sometimes, you may get a better look by completely flipping a texture. You can do this by checking the Flip box next to the Repeats Per Face settings.
Select just one face of your wall. Check and uncheck the Flip box for the horizontal and vertical repeat settings.
Rez a few different shaped prims and apply different textures to them. Practice changing the horizontal and vertical repeats. Do you find you like oversize, fantasy-like textures or more realistic ones?
Offsets
TEXTURES: AN INTRODUCTION TO TEXTURES - MISSION 4
Someone once said, "Variety is the spice of life." If everything looks like it was stamped out of the same mold, it doesn't look real.
Instruction
You can add variety to your texturing by using the Offset feature in the Texture tab. Offset will allow you to slightly change the way your texture is applied to your objects.Practice
Step 1: Making some steps
Let's say you want to make some wood steps. In real life, you know they would each have the same wood pattern. But you also know that they would look different from each other.
Rez a cube. Stretch and flatten it to form a step. The step in our example is:
X: 1.500
Y: 1.000
Z: 0.225
Texture it with:
Inventory > Library > Textures > Atoll Textures > Atoll Woodwalkway Use the Select Texture button and adjust the front repeat of the step to:
Horizontal: 1.000
Vertical: 0.500
Shift-click and drag to duplicate the step. Duplicate and position three or four steps to form stairs. NOW: Do you see how each step looks exactly the same? It looks pretty good - but not great.
Step 2: Using Offset
You can use Offset to adjust the texturing on an entire prim, or just one side at a time. It will depend on the texture and look you want. In real life, these wood steps would look like they were each made of different boards instead of the same ones. Let's change that.
In Edit mode, select the bottom step. In the Texture tab, change the Offset to:
Horizontal: 0.300
Vertical: 0.800
Select the other steps one at a time. Change the Offset differently for each one. You don't have to use "round" numbers.
Tip: Combining Offset with Flip might give you even better results!
You now have the power to modify, or change, the texture of objects! You can find some objects to re-texture in your Library. In your Library, find the Basic Chair. Use your new texturing skills to change the look of your chair and discuss what you have learned with your supervisor.
Continue to Chapter 5: Building Additional Features